How do I copy a parent object so it also copies it's children?

Im working on a building with many customized container units that need to be reproduced and positioned deliberately. I don’t want to join it as the overall design might still change. Having to select all the children from the outliner each and every time I want to copy this container, or just move it with its children, is a HUGE time suck.

In my case, since my children are being used as boolean difference elements via the boolean modifier, I want them hidden at all times. Going thru and hiding all of the children (I have like 8 for this model) every time I copy it, is going to lead me straight into madness.

Is there another method? I really like that I can move the container and all the children follow, but why doesn’t this happen when I copy it? I’d like this to function like a block element in traditional CAD software (Rhino, Autocad, etc).

Found the answer: instancing or SHIFT+] while selecting parent to select children.

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